Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-01-27


to the picturesqueness of the scene. A
bevy OF pretty girls clad In old.fashioned
English ankle gowns of colored muslin.
with satin overskirts, troop In and sing the
opening chorus. An ancient maiden lady
then enters, and after referring to the fact
that she Is the daughter OF John
Trusty, tells the tale OF the witches
curse which hangs over the heirs to
the Batonetcy Of Murgatroyd. She more
over details the wickedness OF the present
Sir Sasper. 1t appears that he cannot help
committing crimes because he Is under the
spell incurred by one of his ancestors CEN
turtles before, as described by the following
song Of the old maid:
"onee ON the village green
A palsied hag he roasted;
And what took place, ween,
Shook his composure boosted.
For as the torture grim
Seized on each withered limb
The writhing dame,
Mid fire and flame,
Yelled forth this curse on him:
Each Lord OF Ruddygore,
Despite his best endeavor,
Shall do one crime or more
Once every day forever.
This doom he can't defy
However he may try,
For should he stay
His hand that day
In torture he shall de-
'"The prophecy came true:
Each heir who held the title
Had every day TO do
Some crime OF import vital;
Until with guilt o'erplisd,
IN sin no more he cried;
And on the day
He said that say
In agony he died"
The girls exount with gay chorus. Rose
Maybird then enters from the house on the
right. She vlvaciously shows the spinster
the presents which she has In her basket
for the people In the village, including
set OF false teeth for the local belle and a
pound OF snuff for dear little girl on the
hill. She then speaks OF one Robin Oak
apple and confesses that she has secret
attachment for him, whom she describes as
having the manners OF a marquis and the
morals OF q Methodist. Rose sings very
pretty waltz song. beginning iu a minor.
Robin makes his entrance and when she is
Joined by him they sling rather effective
duct, beginning 81 knew maid" Then
she departs on her errand of charity. A
chorus by the girls follows. Dick, a sailor,
appears and sings nautical song and
dances hornpipe. He meets Robin, who
reeoRni2ed him as q foster:brother. Then,
and the audience learns Robin is really Sir
Ruthven, who, 90 years before, In terror ut
the curse, had resigned the title, He'd the
country, and had long since been reported
dead and succeeded by his brother Jasper.
After Robin has indulged In patter song
which bears ,lose resemblance to its pre-
decessors, he discloses to Dick his attach
ment for Rose, and begs him to intercede
for him with the maiden. Rose returns
and Dick begins his proxy pleading, but
falls desperately In love with Rose, and
promptly proposes to the girl himself
After consulting book on etiquette she
consents to be his wife. They sing rap
Robin and the girls enter. There is then
very funny effect of chorus singing, "The
Bridegroom and the Bride" Robin asks
Dick how be succeeded, and he answers
that Rose has promised TO beeome his
bride. Robin at once upbraids Rose.
She says she had no Idea that he
wanted to marry her, as she would have
much preferred a wealthy man like him to
an Impoverished mariner, of whose
character she positively knows nothing
whatever. Upon this the honest Robin de.
clares that much as he Is grieved, he feels
that he Is bound to vouch for Dicks
honesty. Rose then makes the suggestion
that perhaps the sailor drinks Dick
truthfully admits that rum Is the bane of his
how beautifully his arm Is tattooed. After
some more characteristic Gllbartian
persiaage of the same sort, Rose decides
TO foresake the sailor for the wealthy Robin.
At this point the crazed girl, Mad Mar
gatet, whose "make-up" is like that OF
Ophelia, enters and aVows her love for sir
Jasper. She sings a weird and melan-
choly song, after which she falls to the
ground. She Is succored and led of the
stage by Rose. Sir Jasper now makes his
entrance. He laments his unavoidable bad
ness and bewails the fearful fate which
compels him to daily outrage his naturally
tender and alfectionate heart by committing
some revolving deed Of sin ut the behest Of
the denizens OF his family portrait gallery.
He has song OF which the refrain Is;
"Why am bad
Because I'm so thoroughly bad"
Dick, the sailor, now re-enters and con-
veys to Sir Jasper the information that he
is not the rlghtflil Baronet, as his brother ts
still alive. Sir jasper Is of course filled
with tinmeasurable delight and bursts i'm
medlatay into an ccstatic song and dance.
After the male and female choruses have
come upon the stage Rose enters In bridal
dress. She is proceeding to church with
Sir Ruthven, who has hitherto been known
as Robin 0akapple, when Jasper blocks the
way. He savagely denounees Ruthyen as
the real Baronet and declares himself to be
an innocent and untitled dupe. After this
damaging accusation against Ruthven, Rose
readily bids him farewell In a song begin
ming: Farewell, thou hast my heart" She
offers to marry Jasper, but he repulses her:
He says he is now reformed and permitted
to be virtuous. He proclaims to the as
sembled crowd that Mad Margaret is his
lawful wife. Robin falls to the ground
crushed by this unexpected weight OF woe.
The final tableau of the act is formed about
him as the curtain falls.
When the curtain rises again for the
second act the scene represents the picture
gallery OF the MurRatroyd mansion. The
portraits of the ancestors OF the family are
painted life size on the panels around the
room. The effect of this scene is very line,
though tho Idea Is familiar. Sir hulhven
enters, with haggard mien, and earnestly
implores his ancestors to shield him from
the dire effects OF the awful family curse
Hehears footsteps and at the sound OF them
retires. Rose, who is reconeiled to DICK,
enters with her bridesmaids. She has iine
solo at this point. Ruthven appears deter
mined to wreak his vengeance on the un-
happy Dick, and makes faces at him till he
writhes In mortal agony. He listens, how
ever, to Roses appeals, and finally joins the
hands of the two lovers. The stage Is then
darkened, and the ancestors step from their
frames and surround him, demanding the
reason OF his failure to commit
ANY Bill III tho
Of the day. They insist that he shall
Immediately abduct maiden. He gives
directions accordingly to his confidential
servants. Jasper and Margaret enter
dressed in Methodist garb. They perform
double song and dance, which is the
funniest thing I'm the opera. At last the
servant brings In the ancient spinster.
Ruthyen has d comic song: "For I'm Re-
spectacle Man." The splnister draws a
dagger and VOWS to defend her honor with
her life. One of the ancestors comes up
through trap and recognizes her as a for
mer sweetheart OF his. Ruthven proves
to the whole lot OF ancestors that as they
all committed suicide out OF dread OF the
curse they need not have died, and con-
sequently they are not dead. At this they
all flock out OF their frames again and the
piece Is brought to a close.
The Impression created by the rehearsal
was not over favorable. The music is not
up to the standard OF Sir Arthur Sullivan.
AS whole 1t is largely commonplace. Ihe
two best !S,hings are Robin and Roses duet
In the first act and the ancestors solo In the